A lot of things happened this weekend. First, my mum came home. She had been in KL for a few months and she will be here for a while before going back again. Secondly, my sister, Aefi, safely gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Zhafri.

Finally, my convocation.

The first time to be held in the new hall, too!

It was fortunate it took place in the afternoon, thus giving my friends and I enough time to have a long sleep in and make ourselves up in order to look fantastic for this big day.

I am not sure if there would be any more convocation in the future, therefore, I must make the best out of it. Aslan, mum and Anisha came to witness me graduate from Unimas. My father chose the ANNUAL Moto GP over me. Well, since he made his decision, I shall exclude him from my life. In short, I LEARN from the best *this sentence oozes sarcasm*.

Enough of utterly depressing and frustrating story, we arrived at Unimas around 1230 in the afternoon and the hall was already packed with anxious graduates and even anxious family members. Hamimi, Rapik and I went to the FSS counter to register.

I brought Monalisa with me...

I was graduate number 342!

For this wonderful day, I designed a very simple modern kebaya. Light chiffon with stones studded on the neck paired with a silk Bornean tribal print skirt. Light so I don’t sweat a lot and thick enough so I won’t freeze in the air-conditioned hall. A fusion of cultures, just like me. Hehehe.

Aslan and yours truly in custom made modern Kebaya.

I also met a friend of mine, Keith, whom just graduated in the morning. I known him from my St Joseph days. He is now a lecturer at Lim Kok Wing Kuching!

Keith and I. You can see more of my modern kebaya here.

Fearing that I might be too tall with high heels and the scary thought of tripping on the stage, I decided to wear flats. Lucky I did coz we had to stand for quite a long time before we received the certificate!

Hamimi, Rapik and I with the black bow flats... Boring but comfortable.

We were still fooling around when it was announced that we were to go into the hall soon. It was time to put on the graduation robe, complete with the mortar board.

Rapik helping me to adjust the robe, still was too big for me even if I got it changed to a smaller size.

My best buddies in uni!

Aslan told us to practice the ‘smile’ when receiving the certificate on stage.

Of course I didn't smile like this, too creepily happy.

Yours truly with momma and Anisha

We started queueing and boy, it was at least 45 minutes before we entered the main hall where the convocation took place. And guess who was on the big screen?

None other than yours truly... I was told I appeared on the big screen quite often. Ah, I guess the camera loves me. Hahaha.

Once we were seated, it took quite a while before it was our Faculty’s turn. We were the last batch. The first batch was the Faculty of Engineering, followed by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.

My whole body started to shake a bit when we were told to make our way to the stage. I kept on telling myself this is just a graduation ceremony. All I had to do was walk, smile, bow, say thank you, get the certificate, pose, and walk back to the seating area. Simple.

A lot of things were on my mind then... Among them was how to not trip while walking towards the Vice Chancellor.

I did not look at the crowd because stage fright somehow managed to overcome my senses.

Yours truly on the big screen again. I bet I looked gigantic.

At one point, I was so stunned, I had to be pushed forward. Miraculously, I recovered and managed to get whole of myself before I do anything silly.

In my mind, I imagined that the crowd was asleep.

Trust me, from that moment on, everything happened in a flash. I was walking towards the Vice Chancellor, I smiled and bowed, I can’t remember if I said thank you or not, posed for the photographer and walked back to the seating area. It all happened too quick, I didn’t even have time to absorb everything. In a way, that was good but somehow, I should have taken my time. Hmm…

Yes, it wasn't a dream.

New graduate in K-Town!

Can you spot yours truly???

Once the ceremony ended, we were bombarded by anxious family and friends with tons of graduation gifts at the exit.

I didn’t make it such a big fuss that neither Aslan or my family members brought me flowers or teddy bears. What mattered most was the fact that they were here with me to witness one of the many important events in my life. Flowers die, teddy bears just gather dust but Sereni & Shentel headbands last FOREVER. Thanks, Aslan!

Besides, the best gift for myself on this very day is none other than my graduation. Also the best gift my family could ever give me. Without my family, I wouldn’t be able to complete my studies.

Momma and I

With Aslan <3

With the dudes, minus Dave who was missing in action.

Mum wanted to wear my robe but I was willing to lend her the square hat as I was still enjoying wearing it.

We went back early and missed the little party at the faculty because we had other arrangements that needed urgent attention. I wish we had more time because I regret not taking more photos with my lecturers and friends.

Maybe that can wait, during a reunion or something like that. In the evening, the dudes and I managed to do a DIY graduation photo taking session at Aslan’s house. I will show you those photos once the dudes receive their perspective copies. Hehehe.

What’s next for me? Well, I plan to relax and do nothing for the rest of 2011. Once work starts, no time for that.

I hope this plan carries through or else, I need to find something to do. Hehehe.

Love,
E.